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For many parents, getting their toddlers to drink water and eat fruits and vegetables is a chore. There’s a lot of pressure in parenting to figure out how to get a toddler well hydrated. As much as I want to avoid being a “Bad Mom”, sometimes […]

If you are looking for different ways to celebrate and ring in Lunar New Years, I am excited to share with you the Year of the Pig themed afternoon tea at H Tasting Lounge at The Westin Bayshore in Vancouver, Coal Harbour neighbourhood. The stylish […]

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, it’s time to pair up the most savoury tastes and enjoy the occasion with loved ones.

Chocolate and wine are two bold tastes that complement each other exceptionally well, especially when paired based on flavour and body. The sweeter a wine is, the sweeter the paired chocolate should be, which is the same for higher cocoa content in chocolate and stronger, red wines.

“There are so many ways to pair wine and chocolate, and often times most pairings will taste great, but finding a wine that complements your favourite chocolate well will give you that wow factor,” says Gillian Minaker, Sommelier at Lakeview Wine Co. “It’s great to experiment with pairings but following the general rule of pairing sweeter chocolate with sweeter wine is the best way to find that perfect match.”

Throughout the month of February, oenophiles and sweet tooths alike can come together to enjoy Days of Wine and Chocolate. Across the Niagara region, wineries will host wine and dessert pairings every weekend for passholders to taste and enjoy. More than 20 VQA wines will be offered throughout the month and paired with chocolatey dishes.

“As the event takes place throughout February, passholders have many opportunities to try out each winery and discover some really exciting taste pairings,” says Gillian Minaker, Sommelier at Lakeview Wine Co. “All participating wineries have something special for every guest, so it really is an event that you don’t want to miss.”

To enjoy the most complimentary wine and chocolate pairing, its beneficial to know which combinations will result in the perfect taste. Heavier wines will often pair well with heavier chocolate such as dark chocolate or milk chocolate. Lighter bodied wines including most whites and Icewine will pair well with white chocolate, and even milk chocolate.

Check out this list of Lakeview Wine Co. chocolate pairings to enjoy this Valentine’s Day:

Milk chocolate – Lakeview Cellars Merlot 2013

Dark chocolate – EastDell Black Label Shiraz 2015

White chocolate – FRESH Opportunities Riesling Gewurztraminer 2016

Chocolate fondue – EastDell Pinot Noir 2016

Days of Wine & Chocolate will take place each weekend in February from Friday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and passes can be purchased online. To learn more about Days of Wine & Chocolate, please visit lakeviewwineco.com.

About Lakeview Wine Co.

A division of Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits Inc., Lakeview Wine Co. is found in the heart of Canada’s premier wine country, Niagara-on-the-Lake. At its state-of-the-art winemaking facility, Lakeview crafts several Ontario VQA wine brands from specially chosen and carefully managed vineyards from more than 25 grape grower partners in the Niagara Peninsula, including Lakeview Cellars, Fresh, EastDell Estates, 20 Bees and the unique McMichael Collection that pays homage to Canada’s famed Group of Seven artists. The Lakeview Wine Co. wine boutique is open daily all year, featuring a selection from each of its brands at the tasting bar. Also available year round is the unique Cellar Floor Experience, a tasting a tour of a 1,000-square-foot space in the heart of the winery where you will sip VQA wines amongst two-storey wine tanks and an ocean of more than 800 wine barrels.

Lunar New Year and Spring Festival is one of the world’s most celebrated annual events. For those not living in Asia, it’s hard not to miss the two week long festivities of family reunions, abundance of delicious food and warm wishes for the New Year filled […]

Kizami is a small Japanese restaurant that opened up last year in a tiny strip mall on Leslie Road & No.3 Road. The team comes from Manzo and is Chinese owned and operated. Kizami menu offers both fresh sheet and fish flown in from Japan […]

Double-Steamed Snow Pear with Fritillaria Bulb Recipe 川貝燉雪梨 is one of my go-to recipes whenever I am sick or can’t get rid of the nagging persistent cough that just won’t go away. For anyone who hates taking medicine, pills or cough syrup, this natural Chinese Medicinal Food Therapy is for you! There is no downside like drowsiness or disgusting tastes of cough syrups. This recipe tastes much like a dessert. It is perfect for anyone suffering from seasonal coughs because it goes down easy and simply gives your throat and lungs a much need giant hug! This dessert soup will help you soothe and reduce swelling, nourish lungs, clear phlegm and reduce heat.

咳個不停: 川貝有化痰止咳、清熱潤燥、消腫散結功效，川貝由於性微寒, 只適用於治療熱咳、燥咳，如乾咳或痰黃，或口乾舌燥等症狀

This food therapy is easy to make and can be made without added sugar. The addition of rock sugar is to help mask the slightly bitter taste from Fritillaria Bulb 川貝. Fritillaria Bulb can be purchased at your local Chinese herbal store in bulb or powder form.

What is Fritillaria Bulb?

Fritillaria is a type of perennial, bulbous flowering plants belonging to the lily family. It is found in temperate regions in the Northern hemisphere. There are many species of Fritillaria that are toxic. Yellow Himalayan fritillary (Fritillaria cirrhosa) is commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat respiratory conditions. Fritillaria has a bitter, sweet, and slightly cold nature.

Fritillaria are used in TCM to treat respiratory conditions connected to the lungs.

Asthma

Bronchitis

Cough

Hypertension

Pneumonia

Swelling

Tuberculosis

Many of the medicinal applications of fritillaria are connected to the lungs. In traditional Chinese medicine, Fritillaria is known for its ability to eliminate and decrease the production of phlegm and mucus by cooling and moistening the lungs, as well as reducing inflammation. Fritillaria also has potent antitussive properties providing relief from coughs.

咳個不停，很多人會食用川貝. 川貝有化痰止咳、清熱潤燥作用，配上百合和雪梨，滋養潤肺.

How To Select and Buy Fritillaria Bulb 如何選擇和購買靓川贝

I suggest buying whole grain when selecting and buying Fritillaria compared to purchasing the powder form. It is easier to distinguish whether it is genuine. The original Fritillaria Bulb typically is spherical shaped and has a diameter of 2mm. The shape of the Chuanbei is structure with a large flap hugging a smaller flap. If you look closely, the middle it has the shape of a crescent moon.

Pre-polished Fritillaria Bulb original color is light brown. Most market Fritillaria is treated and bleached to be pearly white. Coffee brownish yellow colored Fritillaria Bulb has become harder to buy, so it is very important to soak it in water to remove impurities before consuming. Also Pingbei 平貝 is cheaper than Chuanbei 川貝.

Double-Steamed Snow Pear with Fritillaria Bulb Recipe | 川貝燉雪梨

Description

Double-Steamed Snow Pear with Fritillaria Bulb Recipe | 川貝燉雪梨 This Chinese Medicinal food therapy is perfect for seasonal coughs that are persistent . This delicious and easy to make recipe will help you soothe and reduce swelling, nourish lungs, clear phlegm and reduce heat.

Hanamori Sushi is located in Coquitlam (North Road / Lougheed neighbourhood). It is awkwardly located below an apartment building in the backlane behind Insadong. The restaurant has gone under new management/ owners. The restaurant is tiny with two booths, two tables and a four seater […]

The 2019 Dine Out Vancouver Festival returns from January 18 to February 3, and will feature over 300 restaurants across Metro Vancouver. Organized by Tourism Vancouver, it is the best way to overcome January blues by indulging at some of Vancouver’s best eateries. This year […]

Chinese Lunar New Year is on February 5th, 2019. 2019 will be the year of the Lucky Pig! As we celebrate many Chinese New Year traditions with festively decorated red and gold, lucky red pocket money, I’m equally as excited for limited edition treats and snacks! Sugarfina has come out with some super cute treats to help up your gift gifting game! I’d say, buy one for your loved ones and one for yourself! Because, what if they don’t share?!

Celebrate the Year of the Pig in the cutest way possible with these bite-sized Gummy Pigs. Created especially for Lunar New Year, these new gummies are super soft and filled with juicy strawberry flavor. Dressed in a shimmery limited-edition red and gold Candy Cube™, these delicious pink candies are sure to bring good fortune in the New Year.

Wish your loved ones good luck in the New Year with this festive gift box celebrating the Year of the Pig. These Sugarfina lucky Lantern Gift Box holds one small Candy Cube® of your choice. It’s the sweetest way to wrap up extra good fortune. Champagne bears sold separately!

Red Envelopes are pocket-sized good fortune, designed with gold foil-stamped pigs and perfect for holding your lucky money gift. Each limited-edition packet includes 5 envelopes to wish sweet success (and wealth) in the New Year. Makes a delicious pairing with cute Lunar New Year Gummy Pigs and Gold Pearls Candy Cubes™.

The 41th annual Vancouver International Wine Festival event is returning between February 23 to March 03, 2019. This year’s themed wine region is California! The wine festival will feature 175 Wineries and 15 Countries – with 53 participating wineries from California. Tickets sales for the […]

Are you team Peppermint Hot Chocolate? I can honestly say that I am not a fan. I’m not sure who coined Peppermint Mocha or Cocoa to be the holiday drink, but I am not sold! Let me introduce you to the best Earl Grey Hot Chocolate ever! […]

I guess it’s fair to say that I have an obsession with chicken wings as like someone would over fried chicken. There’s this hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Vancouver that has been serving up some serious crack chicken wings for the past couple decades. Phnom Penh 金邊小館 is located in Chinatown and there is never a shortage of people lining up – a casual rainy weeknight will set you back at least 40 minutes. Yet we all happily comply! I think it’s partly because of their garlic butter sauce; and partly because of their crack dipping sauce that makes their wings so addictive!

To make these super delicious chicken wings at home a little healthier, I don’t use any powdered MSG. I substituted the umami flavour with a little fish sauce (I like using this one most) and sugar. I also replaced deep frying the chicken wings in hot oil with an air fryer (similar here).

These chicken wings are dead easy to make. They are light and crispy! A little tangy and sweet! The skin has a nice sugary crunch! It’s almost magic! All you need is some five minutes of prep time and 25 minutes of cooking time in the Actifry (you barely even have to lift a finger! You can go and enjoy that glass of wine and Netflix).

For the marinade, you will need a splash of fish sauce, sugar, corn starch, salt and pepper. For the dipping sauce you will need lime, white pepper powder and black pepper salt (I use Wu Hsing brand but you can find similar ones at any Asian supermarket). You can also use regular ground black pepper if you can’t find it.

I highly encourage you to make extra dipping sauce… you’ll want to double dip!

Com Vietnamese is a brand spanking new restaurant in Richmond on the corner of Lansdowne and Alderbridge Way. The 2 story high loft ceiling restaurant is beautiful, bright and well designed by Ste. Marie Design Studio Glasfurd & Walker, who worked together on Coquille, Kissa Tanto, […]

When it comes to travelling the world, a lot of us focus solely on having a fantastic time and kind of forget about our health and wellbeing. With so much different food and drink on offer, plus an excuse to just lay on the beach […]

Meet Nancy

Nancy is a finance professional by trade and has an eye for passion.
She is the writer, stylist, photographer and foodie based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
This new Mommy also runs a Baby / Lifestyle Blog Hello Nance .
Her work has been featured on SELF Magazine, ClassPass, National Post, Yellow Pages, Groupon, and SocialShoppers.

ICYMI

Mission Hill Winery Estate located heart of British Columbia’s breathtaking Okanagan Valley wine country is must for anyone visiting Kelowna for the first time. This trip was one that I will always remember and hold dear to my heart. The breathtaking scenery provides a great place for you to take refuge from the busyness of daily life and escape for while with a delicious glass (or bottle, we don’t judge) of wine. We came here on our second day of our Summerland road trip. After travelling from Vancouver and pre-drinking before at Sumac Ridge Estate Winery, we didn’t want to leave this beautiful place. We made sure we made dinner reservations at the Mission Hill Terrace Restaurant for dinner later that evening.

Upon arriving you are greeted at the gate with beautiful grapes and a stunning view. Even on a cloudy day, the view is mesmerizing. We sat on the grass for a long while talking nonsense, life and just soaking up God’s creation.

Mission Hill Winery Estate SOMMELIER GUIDED TOURS:

Legacy Tasting Experience – 90 minutes $50 pp

WINERY TOURS:

Discovery Tour – 60 minutes $20 pp

Heritage Tour – 60 minutes $12 pp

GROUP TOURS:

WINERY HOURS – OPEN DAILY

October 9th – December 31st, 2012, 11:00am-5:00pm

*closed Christmas, Boxing Day & New Year’s Day

Remember to book your reservations in advance on the Mission Hill Winery Estate website as there are limited spaces. We chose the Discovery Tour which began with an introduction to viticulture at Mission Hill and its importance in winemaking. Tour begins in the vineyards, followed by our winery film, architecture highlights and a visit to our underground Barrel Cellar. In the end, guests will enjoy an extensive tasting of 4 award-winning wines and a $5.00 gift voucher for our Wine Shop.

After all the wine tasting and touring I was ready to spend my $5 voucher and indulge on flights. 3 for $10 or any single for $4. If you purchase two bottles from the selected list, you can enjoy one tasting also. I really enjoyed their 06 SLC Chard and their SLC Syrah.

It is VERY IMPORTANT to keep the cheese and crackers you purchase close to you. There are many guests whom thinks it is free and communal and start reaching into your purchased food. Most are probably already intoxicated from the wine tour and wine tasting where common sense and mannerism is throw out the door.

Beauty & Lifestyle

When it comes to travelling the world, a lot of us focus solely on having a fantastic time and kind of forget about our health and wellbeing. With so much different food and drink on offer, plus an excuse to just lay on the beach […]

How did Christmas holiday creep up on us so fast?! There is only one weekend left to check off everyone on your Christmas list! If you haven’t done your Christmas shopping yet, DON’T WORRY – if you act quickly you can still get your gifts […]

This is the BEST holiday Christmas Gift Guide ever! Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? There is exactly 10 days left to cross off everyone on your Christmas list! Scroll down, and we guarantee you will find some awesome gift ideas that won’t beg […]

The Spa By Ivanka Trump is a new luxury spa that opened in Vancouver. It is located on the second floor within the Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver on Georgia Street. The spa promises an intimate sanctuary that features beautiful treatment rooms, high tech fitness center, […]